Libya is epicenter of illicit arms trade – UN

Libya has been named as the primary source of the illegal weapons trade that is fueling conflicts in at least 14 countries around the world, a final report from the UN's independent panel on Libya’s sanctions announced.

In a briefing to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) on
Monday, the Libya sanctions committee chair, Rwandan Ambassador
Eugene Gasana, noted that the post-Gaddafi government is
struggling to secure the country in which a number of armed
tribal militias denounce Tripoli’s authority.

“The panel noted that the control of non-state armed actors
over the majority of stockpiles in Libya as well as ineffective
border control systems remained primary obstacles to countering
proliferation and that Libya had become a primary source of
illicit weapons, including MANPADs [portable air defense
systems],” Gasana told the Council, as quoted by Reuters.

Unable to secure its borders, Libya has let weapons fall into the
hands of radical elements on several continents, Gasana said.

“Transfers to 14 countries reflected a highly diversified
range of trafficking dynamics; and that trafficking from Libya
was fueling conflict and insecurity – including terrorism – on
several continents,” he said.

As of now, three ports in the country are under full control of
rebel groups. A special force has been ordered by the country’s
parliament to be sent next week to “liberate” all
rebel-held ports, which is crucial to sustaining Libya's oil-rich
export economy that has been struggling to survive after the NATO
invasion and regime change.

The UN arms embargo was enacted on Libya at the start of the
unrest which eventually ousted former leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Last year, non-lethal equipment was allowed to enter Libya when
the UNSC eased its sanctions as the UN cautioned Tripoli against
the spread of weapons to nearby states.

The UNSC insisted that Libyan authorities improve their
monitoring record of arms supplied, sold, or transferred to the
government with the approval of the UN sanctions committee. The
panel found a number of violations of the arms embargo, such as
“non-notified” transfers of arms to government security
forces and transfers of weapons to the private market, Gasana
said.

Gasana also pointed out that UN experts discovered that some
countries need better legislative capacity to induce sanctions
and implement asset freezes of the UNSC-generated list of
individuals.“One instance resulted in the dissipation of
almost $2 million in funds that should have been frozen,”
Gasana said.

“Any request for approval for exporting weapons to Libya that
is not done via the Libyan mission at the UN or with the
knowledge of this mission would be considered a request from a
party that does not belong to the Libyan government,”
Ambassador Ibrahim Dabbashi told the Security Council.

“The exporting party shall bear the responsibility for that
before the Security Council,” he added.

In the meantime, the head of the UN Support Mission in Libya
(UNSMIL) warned the 15-member body that Libya faces increased
violence.

“Libya faces the risk of embarking on a new trajectory of
unprecedented violence,” as security and political divisions
deteriorate, Tarek Mitri told the UNSC.

Mitri pointed to the surge of attacks in Sabha, located in the
south of the country, which resulted in over 100 civilian deaths
– including children – and the displacement of hundreds of
families as well as shortages of food, fuel, and medical
supplies. In the east, targeted assassinations, bombings, and
kidnappings around Benghazi have reached “intolerable”
levels.

“Intense efforts to resolve differences and negotiate an
agreement on the management of the transitional period, including
the future of the General National Congress and the Government,
have not succeeded in bringing an end to the divisions that have
paralyzed the political process,” noted Mitri.

An “alarming” rise in attacks on journalists has also
been witnessed in recent months, Mitri told the Council, with TV
stations in Tripoli and Benghazi vandalized and a number of
journalists abducted.